Tag: birdhouse

Evening everyone! I say everyone, like there are loads of you reading this… I actually have no idea how many people read my ramblings. Feel free to comment so I can chat to you 🙂

Anyway… So this week, as mostly a thank you for sticking with me, and also an apology for blogging so little recently, I will be doing a post every day. For 7 whole days. I’m not sure I even know enough words to fill a weeks worth of blogging, but lets give it a go!

Today, we prepped our yarden, as from Monday my lovely father is going to be building us a monster planter and seating area… EEK!

So aside from moving stuff out of the way and selling some un-needed garden junk on Facebook, we painted our garden wall. We haven’t touched it since we moved in.

This was it before:

Bit gross hey?! It is supposed to be white, but as you can see, our wall was mostly grey. So it was time to freshen it up!

We used huge rollers and about half a tin of white masonry paint. It’s quite pricey stuff, so I would advise making it cover as best you can rather than paint it on heavy!

Well would you look at that! Much better! I swear when that sun poked its head out from behind the clouds, the wall was blinding.

So that was just one coat, and it takes a few hours to dry, so to pass the time we went down to harbourside in the City. I advise you do something similarly fun whilst waiting for paint to dry 🙂

N.B Buying a dinosaur balloon isn’t the only way to have a fun day, but I do advise it, it works.

So the wall is now done, one coat was enough to brighten and tidy it up and when we got home it was dry. Dry enough to finally put up my glam bird house I painted months ago! Woo! Welcome birdies to ‘Birdie B&B’.

I have been recently inspired by a book, called ‘How to Grow’ by Hollie Newton, to embrace my inner-kitsch. I should add, her book has also given me some great tips for growing vegetables, fruit and plants too!

As you will see in Hollie’s book – if you buy it, which quite frankly every aspiring gardener should, she has jazzed up her London garden with bright pieces of furniture and accessories. Lots of which she painted herself – which, by the way, is much cheaper and way more creative than just buying it!

After having a good old read last weekend I randomly purchased a bright pink, flamingo shaped watering can this week on my way home from work. I only say randomly, because until now my garden design had included a lot of green (obviously) but also neutral tones, whites, greys, browns and the odd deep purple flower thrown in.

So that’s why my purchase of a flamingo watering can was a bit of a surprise, as it doesn’t really go with my initial designs. But hey ho… looks like there might be some tweaks to my design now. Which is sort of the beauty of creating a moodboard and really taking the time to think about how you want your garden to look. It can change at any time to incorporate new ideas. There are no rules really… You can do whatever you want with your space. Even when the garden’s ‘finished’ it will never really be finished, you can add to it and change it whenever you like!

The flamingo watering can was just the start… I have just also purchased a wooden bird box from the garden… what’s so kitsch about that I hear you ask… well I’ve painted it.

Personally, I think its the coolest bird box in the village… maybe even in the West Country. A bold claim I know!

I do know that the colour of the bird box makes no difference to our winged visitors, but it will add a needed splash of colour to our white washed yard walls. It is also one of many touches I hope to add to help bring wildlife into the yarden. In a world when species are going extinct and becoming endangered left, right and centre, I would like to do my bit by making my yarden wildlife friendly, a sanctuary even.

So go on everyone – paint something bright and pop it in your garden, be it a chair, a bird box or even some pots!

Go for it – grab your paintbrushes!

Amy x

If you want to buy the same bird box as me, mine came from the old trusty Wilko for £5.00

Paints came from Wilko too – and they are just tester pots by Cuprinol. I have ‘Beach Blue’ and ‘Pansy Purple’ on my bird box. Both were plenty to give it 3 coats and only £1.50 each

‘How to Grow: A guide for gardeners who can’t garden yet’ can be bought from any good book retailler, but I bought mine from Amazon for £6.99 plus P&P. Bargain!